Greetings, a newbie here and it seems this is the thread to get acquainted with the community. Had lurked here for a while - especially in the run-up to getting the RAAL SR1a, which I drive with a Chord stack of HMS, TT2 and TToby. So, here’s the rundown of what I have, have coming and would like to get in the future:
• RAAL-requisite SR1a: This forum and Torq’s reviews have certainly been a factor in considering this very innovative headphone. Before this, I had been seriously considering the Susvara which I had borrowed for a while from a friend but decided that the SR1a suits me better for classical, jazz, acoustic, and vocal music which I listen to majority of the time and I already had a nice power amp so it kind of became a no-brainer to get. It’s considerably cheaper than a Susvara as well so the SR1a made perfect sense.
Overall, I can’t be happier with the SR1a for the things I mainly listen to. That being said, it isn’t great for bass-heavy music like EDM, hip-hop, modern detuned metal, or even rock as I find the extended treble makes distorted electric guitars (especially guitars like the Strat and Tele) sound a little too piercing to my ears. And, believe me, I lean towards the bright side of the sonic spectrum, having owned and loved the HD800 S for many years.
When it comes to clarity, resolution, details, imaging and soundstage, it’s hard to imagine anything else topping this at the moment. For vocals, the SR1a is just startlingly realistic. When listening to female vocalists like Alison Krauss, Diana Krall, Norah Jones and opera sopranos like Joan Sutherland and Maria Callas, they sound like they are literally singing right into your ears a few feet away. Overall, I think the SR1a is best suited for classical, jazz and acoustic music but it’s also great for epic soundtracks and ambient electronic that doesn’t try to push too much sub-bass. Honestly, rock, electronic, hip-hop, modern pop and metal do not seem well suited for the SR1a - at least to my ears.
• Audeze LCD-4: This headphone seems to occupy the opposite end of the sonic spectrum from the SR1a and I’m fine with it. At first, I was very unsure about this headphone but, as time went by, I came to love it and I’m definitely keeping it for the specific things it does very well. I got the LCD-4 thinking that it would be a lot like the LCDi4 which I really loved for years but that really wasn’t the case. It was more like a higher resolution version of the LCD-3 which I had for a short while and then returned. But with over 150 hours of burn-in time and a little bit of EQ (including the Reveal plug-in), the LCD-4 really came to life and became the highly resolving and punchy version of the warm, lush, smooth, rich and sweet type of sonic character.
This isn’t my personal preference for tonality and tactile response I seek in a headphone but it’s a very beguiling sound. If the SR1a reminds me of a Fender Strat or Tele (actually more like a synthetic Steinberger), the LCD-4 reminds me of the Gibson ES-335 semi-hollow body guitar. I may want to play the Strat more but the Gibson has its own magic. And, yes, the LCD-4 is heavy but, honestly, it has never bothered me. I can easily listen to it for 2 hours straight or even more without discomfort. It has its own sound and I guess either you love it or not like it at all. Well, I love it. It’s a headphone that has grown on me with each passing month.
• Audeze LCDi4: This is probably my most used headphone since I take it on long nature hikes almost every single day and it’s also the one on my bedside table to use for reading in bed and falling asleep to. To me, it has the most balanced tonality of all the headphones I have and have owned in the past. It sounds huge for an in-ear and also “open” and I guess that’s because it really is an open-back mini headphone. It has great bass for an in-ear but it’s not as big as it is on the LCD-3 and the LCD-4. The low-mids aren’t as forward either. The treble also doesn’t sound anything like it is on its much bigger over-ears cousins. The LCD-4 sounds like it has more high treble but the LCDi4 has more forward high-mids and low-treble, which is quite pleasing to my ears. In that respect, that region actually reminds me of the HD800 S.
Technically, it does not compare to the SR1a or the LCD-4 but it’s not far off. And when you consider the portability factor, it’s the one I will take with me everywhere and anywhere. Obviously, that’s just not possible with any TOTL over-ears that often need powerful headphone amps and even a power amp in the SR1a’s case. To me, the LCDi4 sounds best with its CIPHER Lightning cable with their own DAC that basically tunes it to their Reveal plug-in preset. Generally, I avoid using its included CIPHER Bluetooth module and cable. The sound degradation is significant. Overall, the LCDi4 is the headphone I’d keep if someone put a gun to my head and said I can only keep one - mainly because I can take world class sound anywhere so easily.
• JH Audio Layla custom IEM: I’ve had this for at least 5 years now along with the Sennheiser HD800 S. It has fallen off my top tier slightly after getting the LCDi4 but it’s still a superb sounding IEM. I primarily use it with the Chord Mojo in the car now for the commutes and, being that I live in SoCal, it’s extremely nice to have a small system like this when stuck in traffic. The sound isolation is excellent but I can still hear enough that it wouldn’t be a danger. The hard plastic casing isn’t all that comfortable - even with the custom molding - but it’s fine for an hour or two.
Recently, I replaced the stock cable with the Moon Audio Silver Dragon and, in this case, the improvement was rather dramatic. Now, in some respects, it outperforms the LCDi4. Overall, everything just sounds big with the Layla. The soundstage itself isn’t big; it’s the sound of each instrument in their respective positions that are wider and taller than I hear on the LCDi4. Clarity and detail are top class and the tonality is very well balanced with the mid-mids being slightly forward. Overall, it’s punchier than the LCDi4. It’s very versatile and great for almost anything but I’d say best suited for modern pop, rock and electronic genres. Well, after all, these are the IEMs used by the likes of Lady Gaga and many well-known pop stars.
• Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC (coming soon!): Well, I couldn’t hold back any longer. After getting the SR1a and absolutely loving it, I realized that I wanted the TC even more to fill this huge gulf in tonality, feel, vibe and character between the SR1a and the LCD-4. To use the electric guitar analogy again, if the SR1a is like a bright Strat or a Steinberger and the LCD-4 is like a warm ES-335, I decided I need a modern “superstrat” (think Ibanez Jem, Suhr Modern, maybe PRS Custom, etc.) - something in between that can do both ends fairly well but have something of its own that either side can’t touch either.
Will the TC be the fabled “endgame” as Abyss likes to market it? Honestly, I don’t think so. It may end up being my main “axe”, so to speak, but one alone can never do it all. I don’t expect it to do certain things as well as the SR1a or the LCD-4 either. I expect it to do its own thing better than both. I think it will be fantastic for rock, electronic/EDM, hip hop, modern pop, and metal (old and new) but also be pretty damn good at classical, jazz, acoustic, vocals, opera, country, etc. Essentially, I really want a headphone for high-energy music with a very powerful punchy and coherent bass while having insane clarity, imaging, detail, and staging. Well, my expectations are quite high and I must say I feel quite confident that the 1266 TC will meet them.
• Sennheiser Momentum TW: This has strictly been my gym in-ears and I haven’t used it in over a year now due to the pandemic. The LCDi4 is a much, much better choice for nature hikes. The MTW is fine for exercising and has good sound isolation. I know they have the MTW2 with noise canceling but I didn’t see the need to replace the first-generation MTW. It sounds really good for what it is. It’s a bit clunky to use but, for an hour or so per day at the gym, it’s no big issue. I got the Sony NC earbuds but the MTW sounded a lot better and I gave the Sony buds to my son, who still prefers using the AirPods over them.
• Sony WH-1000XM3: This was purchased strictly for business trips and use on long flights to Asia (or around the US) and for commutes in cars or subways during those trips. Obviously, this hasn’t been used in over a year either. The noise canceling feature is great and I use it more for that to sleep during the Trans-Pacific flights than listening to music. The sound is tolerable or, I should say, serviceable for its intended usage. I have no intention to upgrade to the XM4 but I may consider the AirPods Max when I can travel again. It would be nice to get something that sounds better. I read a lot of reviews about the AirPods Max and that it “sounds great” or “fantastic” and has “audiophile quality” but, obviously, they are comparing it to $200~300 headphones so I really have no idea what they mean when they throw around such superlatives.
• Sennheiser HD800 S: I actually had two of these so that my wife and I can listen at the same time using the original Hugo but I have now handed these off to my two teenage sons. I even got them $150 Audioengine portable desktop DACs so they can enjoy them properly but I don’t think they really appreciate what they have - yet… I can say I enjoyed the HD800 S immensely over the years but I’ve moved on. The soundstage is still its defining feature and it’s still gorgeous sounding for classical music but I’ve come to hear the various gaps in the tonal spectrum - mainly in the low-mids and across the entire bass range. The SR1a has pretty much replaced the HD800 S for me in the areas that it excelled.
• The Future… A lot will depend on how the TC fits in and if I feel like I’ll still “need” something else to broaden the sonic/tonal palette down the line. The headphone that intrigues me the most right now after the TC is the ZMF Vérité, open or closed. I’m thinking that if the TC fits in between the SR1a and the LCD-4 tonally, then the Vérité will sit somewhere in between the TC and the LCD-4. If that’s really the case, I’ll definitely be getting it eventually. Really hard to decide between open and close. They both sound and look so enticing.
Of course, another headphone that can’t be ignored is the Meze Empyrean but I can’t say my interest is all that high based on all of the reviews I’ve read and watched on YT. Some people absolutely love it while some are just “meh” about it and the reasons for the “meh” sound like what would make me say that as well. Overall, the Vérité just seems much more compelling.
I can’t really think of other headphones that have really intrigued me although I’m sure that will change as time goes by. I remember looking at the SR1a for the first time about a year ago and dismissing it purely based on how it looked. I remember thinking the same about the AB-1266 and now I’ll have both. A lot of it will depend on how the TC plays out. Perhaps I’ll love the Abyss “house sound” so much that I’ll want to add the Diana Phi or V2 for my outdoor excursions.
Whatever transpires, I expect to build a sizable collection over the years to come. I don’t expect to add anything else anytime soon after splurging on the SR1a and TC over the space of a few months. All I can say is that now seems to be the best time ever to be a music lover. My fascination with headphone listening started with the Sony Walkman back in 1980 or so. I had a big LP collection and spent countless hours recording them to cassettes so I can take the music with me everywhere.
After that, I got the now-classic AKG K-240 which I cherished for many years. Then I became a guitar fanatic so I got obsessed with collecting guitars, guitar amps, pedals, etc. and setting up mega guitar rigs. So headphones and audiophile thing became secondary and I sloshed through the years with various mainstream Sony, Bose, Klipsch, Shure, RSA, Etymonic, and lower-cost and midrange AKG and Sennheiser earbuds and headphones. Man, those were the years when I was constantly thinking, “there must be stuff that sounds better than this…”
Finally, I decided I’m tired of playing the same ole guitar licks over and over again and I don’t have the time or the energy to learn to play new things and get better at it. I’ve sold all the guitars (except for a decent nylon-string acoustic) and tons of other gear to help finance this expensive hobby. And here I am! I can confidently say that I like this side of the aisle better. 
Ugh, it never stops! Haha. So much bad influence all around in forums like these. We are all like drug pushers trying to get each other the next great high. 
